Process and apparatus for bleaching peanuts



Aug. 30, 1927. 1,640,849

A. C. NORSWORTHY, JR

PROCESS AND APPARATUS. FOR BLEACHING PEANUTS Filed March 2l, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l f/ ".Z. /O/

a Agg D E f ///l Aug. 30, 1927. 1,640,849

A. C. NORSWORTHY. JR

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING PEANUTS Filed MaICh 21. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 30, 1927.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR C. NORSW'ORTHY, JR., 0F NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING PEANUTS.

Application led March 21, 1927. Serial No. 176,976.

The invention relates to an improved process and apparatus for bleachingraw peanuts in hull.

This invention has for its object the operation of bleaching raw peanuts in hull form. The bleaching of raw peanuts is designed to remove impurities and foreign matter, such as stains, mold, mildew, smut and bacteria, all of which the peanut may be affected with, due to exposure to weather during the time the peanuts are maturing.

The bleaching and removal of such affections as the peanut may possess is accomplished by subjecting it to a chamber' of confined hypochloric acid gas, which is a powerful bleaching agent and also a disinfectant. f I have found that hypochloric acid gas gives very satisfactory results as a bleaching agent for raw peanuts in hull, when confined with peanuts in such a manner as the drawings show, Where the bleaching gas is formed by a mixture of steam and chlorine vas, furnished from an outside source. when subjected to such a treatment even the darkest and most impure raw peanuts in hull are automatically bleached and purified.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide efficient apparatus of simple structure for bleaching purposes.

Other objects will appear from the accompanying description, drawings and claims.

Prior to this invention raw peanuts in hull have never before been bleached successfully by a chemical process. All peanuts which are sold in hull are notblcached and purified in a chemical way before leaving the factory, but they are whitened by a formA of powder which is very expensive and extremely injurious to the persons who work in the powdering rooms.

The invention consists in the features, combination and arrangement of parts herenafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings Figure l is a. perspective elevation of the machine.

Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are views of details.

Referring to the accompanying drawing. Fig. l represents a sectional elevation of a peanut bleaching apparatusv` constructed in accordance with the invention, the peanuts being conveyed to a gas chamber by a co1nmon slide conveyor 19 which catches them as they dump from the carrier belt A. The peanuts as they enter the gas chamber are freed of any grit or dirt by alarge fan 22, which not only cleans them, but is so disposed as to prevent the bleaching gas from escaping from the gas chamber, by way of the peanut inlet. i

The peanuts falling into gas chamber are caught on the vibrating shakers l and 2 and are gradually shaken through gas chamber B during which time the peanuts are attacked bythe bleaching gas, preferably hypochloric acid gas, which automatically bleaches them, the bleaching gas being furnished by outside source and conveyed to `gas chamber through gas mixer l0 and cooler 13, and on to 'gas chamber by pipe 5, the gas being'diffused into the gas chamber by a series of 'horizon tally disposed pin hole diffusion tubes l1 which are mounted between shakers l and 2. Shakers l and 2 each comprise a set of two screen shakes M connected rigidly together by steel rods N.

Shakers l and 2 are mounted in the gas chambers for the purpose of regulating the iiow of peanuts through said chamber, the shakers being fastened to fraine C by spring steel hangers D and operated respectively by shaker arms 20 and 2l which are con# nected to shafts 8 and 8 which extend through the side of the bleaching machine. The shaker arms 20 and 21 are connected at their upper ends to members P and P of the shakers. The vibrating motion of the shaking screens is obtained by variable couplings F on said drive shafts 8 and 8. The shakes preferably have an oscillation of about one-quarter inch which gives the peanuts a regular flow through the chamber. The cross bars E in th-e shakes are preferably made adjustable in the shakes to regulate the distance between them. They may be spaced at any distancedesired according to the amount of peanuts desired to be bleached at a given time, soas to regulate the flow of peanuts.

A view of the shakel arm 2O and2l is shown in Fig. 2 and Figs. 3 and 4 show the pulley G and shaft 8 with eccentric K providing the variable coupling F with shaker arm 20. This gives a clear idea of how the oscillating motion of the shakers is obtained. The bottom of the gas chamber 9 is shown., including a broken section, giving a detail view of the sheet metal lini the asbestos middle lining and the lie-avUyl timbers constructing the wall of the bousing.. i v

The peanuts as they fall from shakers are completely bleached. They are caught in a perforated, angular bucket 16 and are conveyed outside to carrier belt lat.V The per-- forated bucket 16 is constructed of sheet metal with small .holes 16 by which the conn densation of the l'ileaching gas may easily pass through tothe bottom of the bleach" machine.

The fan 3 `at the bottom of the peaiuit-outlet prevents the bleachii'ifi gas from escaping through the peanut outlet and forces the stale gasy and condensation down to drain bucket 4.

Drain bucket l is constructed at the bot-- tom of the gas chamber for the purpose of collecting the condensation which manv exist within said bleaching machine. D' pipe 7 is connectedv to drain buck/t in order to free the same of the said stale gas and condensation. The drain bucketA is of angular construction, made of sheet .metah this being a `base for the. bleachuign'iachine.

The' novel arrangement of screen shakes into sets placed one above the other with gas diffusing means disposed between the sets and the novel means for supporting the sets upon hangers together with the effective means for shaking the sets of screens provides an eficient and extremely effective apparatus for bleaching peanuts and the like, the gas being circulated thoroughly through the peanuts as they gradually descend through the shaking screen.

This invention is not to be understood as restricted to the detail drawing or description since these maybe modified within the limit of the appended claims without de parting from said invention.

l claim:

1. In combination in apparatus for bleaching and purifying' raw peanuts in hull and thelike, a housing enclosing a gas chamber having an inlet at its upper end and an outlet at its lower end, shaking means mounted in said gas chamber comprising an upper set of screen shakes and a low-er set kof screen shakes, said sets of shakes being aligned vertically, each set cmi'iprisingupper and lower horizontally disposed screen shakes rigidly connect-ed together, and gas didusing means disposed between said upper and lower sets.

2. In combination in apparatus for bleaching andv purifying raw peanuts in the hull and the like, a housing enclosing a gas chamber, said chamber having an inlet at needs/ie its upper end and an outlet at its lower end, shaking means comprising sets of screen shakes disposed in said gas chamber, one above the other, each set comprising upper and lower horizontally disposed screen shakes, means for connecting the screen Yshakes of each set rigidly together and connecting the screen shakes of each set rigi idly together, hanger means movably connecting said sets to said housing, means for independently oscillating each set of shakes comprising rods each secured. at one end, to a' set and extending horizontallyA into ec,n centric engagement respectively with drive shafts at right angles thereto, and ,gas dif-` fusing means comprising a seriesof perforated horizontally disposed gas diffusing pipes mounted betweensaid sets of shakes and having a common gas supply pipe.

t. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which said screen shakes are composed of a frame and a series of spaced crossrods adjustably mounted in said frame for regulation of the space between them.

5. ln combination in apparatus for bleaching raw peanuts in the hull and the like, a metal and asbestos lined housing enclosing a chamber, said chamber having an inlet at its upper end and an outlet at its lower end, means for conveying and `delivering peanuts to said inlet, a `fan mounted on the housing at said inlet to clean the entering peanuts of dust and to preventthe escape of gas from said chamber, a similar fan at the outlet for preventing escape 'of gas, means for conveying away rbleached peanuts discharged from said outlet, gas supplying and diifusing means horizontally disposed centrally of said gas chamber, shaking means comprising a of upper and lower screen shakes rigidly secured together above said diffusing means, anda similar set below said diusing means,

hang-ers for removably securing said setsto said housing, and means foroscillating said sets.

6. ln apparatus according to claim 5, a. perforated angular bucket disposed in said gas chamber beneath said shakes, said bucket being substantially funnel-shaped and. having its outlet directed and extending to the outlet of the gas chamber, and a drain bucket disposed beneath said perfocontinuously treating the peanuts with rated bucket to form a bottom for the gas hypochloric acid gas introduced intermechamber, and having an outlet pipe to carry diate the said stages.

off stale gas and condensation. In testimony whereof, I affix my signa- 5 7. The method of bleaching raw peanuts ture.

in the 11u11, which consists in agtating the peanuts in a series of successive stages and ARTHUR C. NORSWORTHY, JR. 

